Process of treating petroleum emulsions.



' 2 BHBBTSBHEET l.

R. E. LAIRD & J. H. RANEY. Pnolzss o? HEATING PETROLEUM BmuLsIoNs.

nrmonxon rum) :um 22, 1914'.

l' Ptlltd NDV. 3, 1914.

R. E. LAIRD & J. H. RANEY. PROCESS 0F TREATING PETROLEUM BMULsIoNs.

APPLIOATIUN FILED JULY 22, 1914.

1, 1 1 6,299. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ma @Wahr-c -uNirED Srita-ias PATENT oFFicE.

ROBERT E. LAIRD AND JOSEPH RANEY, 0F TAFT, CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF TREATINGiPETROIaEUM EMUJSIONS.

To all fwhom it may concern Be it known that we, ROBERT E. LAIRD and Josiirii H. RANY, citizens of the United. States, both residin at'laft, in the countyof Kern, State of alifornia, .have invented a new and useful Process of Treating Petroleum Emulsions.

Our invention relates to means for remov-l ing water and other impurlties from oil, and` settle out if the mixture is allowed to stand,- such water being known as free water. On the other hand the water may be present@ in small particles forming an emulsion withl the oil w ich will not separate into its component parts even if allowed to stand for long periods of time. The water in such any emulsion is known as trapped water.

The problem of removingr this trappedy water is a common one, and the principal,

object of our invention is to provide a process for economically separating this trapped; water from the body of the oil. There have` already been devised various processes orr doing this, and particularly there have been devised certain processes in which electricity has been used, the water particles being lined up between charged electrodes and the separating walls of oil between the particles being punctured by the electric current to produce a eoalescence of the minute articles of trapped water into largerV glo ules of free water. Previous inventors have regarded the formation of such chains as a disadvantage and have worked out various means for preventing the formation ofsuch chains by the rotation of the electrodes or the emulsion. We have found that the for-` mation of chains is absolutely necessary to the proper operation of our apparatus andv that the current through the chains must be maintained for an appreciable time to; cause a proper treatment of the oil. I-

A further objectv of our invention is to supply and maintain a sufficient electrical potential to positively form such chains andl to maintain heavy short circuit currents It is, of course,- obvious that after a proper coalescence ofv through the emulsion.

the small particles takes place that there is no utility in maintaining such heavy orl Specification (if Lettcrslatent. Applicatibn led .Tuly 22, 1914. Serial No. 852,481.

etroleum water is often 11i` This water may be;

Patented Nov.- 3, 1914.

short circuit currents. We find that it is necessary to first allow a heavy current to pass through the chains and then to entirely interrupt the currentand allow they particles of trapped water to coalesce and concentrate into larger globules of free water.

A .further 4obJect of our invention is to provide positive means external to the treater proper for interrupting the current at regular intervals for t e purpose of allowing a thorough coalescence of the trapped water particles into `free water globules.

Previous inventors have also laid considerable stress on the downward movement of the emulsion between the electrodes so that the movement of the emulsion is in the same direction as the movement of the free water globules under the action of gravity. This ias necessitated the introduction of the emulsion at the top of the treater andthe removal of the cleaned and se arated liquid at the bottom of the treater.' he introduction of the emulsion at the top of the treater has resulted in a great deal of trouble due to heavy currents flowin over the surface of the emulsion, the emu sion beingr a ooi' insulator and various schemes have een devised for preventing such leakage currents on the surface of the emulsion. `We have found' that by admitting the emulsion to the bottom of the treater and passing it upwardly between the electrodes that we obtain anatural separation of the oil and water, the water falling and the oil rising under the action of gravitv. and that we arev able to maintain a large body of cleaned oil at the surface of our treater, thus doing away in a large measure with insulation troubles. By passing the emulsion slowly upwardly and allowing a portion of the globules of free water to settle downwardly through the rising emulsion we are able to cause a mechanical coalescence of` the trapped water particles with such globules in their downward course. We find further that at the instant the short circuit current flows'that the resistance between the electrodes is greatly reduced and the voltage across the electrodes is lowered. It is therefore desirable to apply this. voltage to only one treater at a time, as if the treaters are connected in groups all the worl'r is done in the treater having the lowest initial re sistance, the other treaters being idle due to insufficient voltage.

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A `further object oi ourinventionis to provide a distribute'i` which will impress the `high voltage on one treater at a time and which will allow suiiicienttime intervals in each treater between treatments toI allow the freed water to coalesce into large globules.

Our invention consists broadly of proc- I'ess i'or producing and maintaining heavy short circuit currents through an emulsion.

rnade strong enough 'ihe source of supply is even through to cause such currents to tlow 'widely variable qualities oit' emulsion and a critical voltage is applied? this critical voltage being strong enough to start a 'flow ci current i'roin electrode to electrode but not sufficiently strong to maintain tlfietlow las the emulsion kis twisted or the electrode moved. @ne ot the principal reasons .tor the high etiiciency ot our process is the posi tive nature ot the short circuit currents which we impress upon the oil.

The invention turther consists ot a process in which the emulsion .movesnpwardly between the electrodes which have a suitable electrical potential difference maintained ou them. This upward movement of the emulsion results in a natural separation of the cleaned oil from the water which in a great measure settles out and is removed from the vbottoni oi the treater. The small portion oi' yfree water that iscarrie'd over with the oil is subsequently removed. in a special forro of separator.

Further objects and advantages will be evident'hereinatter.

Referring to the' drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only: Figure l is a plan view oi a treater and a separator. F ig. 2 `-is a of 1@ Figa-3 isa section on the plane S-a oit lig. 2. liigd is an end view of the interrupter and distributer. idig. 5 is a partial section on the plane ml-mf of Fig. d. Fig. 6 is a diagram oit connections.

The invention broadly considered consists ot a treater 1 a separator 2, and a distributing interrupter 3; 'llie treater consists of a cylindrical outer shell at havin torn 5 and a top 6 provided with gas relief apertures l which may be closed by suitable doors 8. A pan 9 top ot the shell 1. Four cylindrical outer electrodes 10. are tightly secured. in openings ll -:formed in' the pun 9 extending downwardly and Ahaving their lowerends secured in tour openings 12 formed in a dividing plate 13. 'lhe pan 9 and the plate 13 divide the interior or thetreater into three chainl Y beraan upper chamber la, a 4 central chamberfl, anda lower chamber 1d? outer :torni openpassagesbetween partial section on the planev is tightly secured in. the

niiaaoe .the chambers 1A and 16, passing through the through the center o-one of the outer electrodes 10. A series olf points 19 project outwardlyl troni the inner electrodes 18 and a similar series ot points 20 project inwardly troin theA outer electrodes The plate 13 is providedwith ltour holes 2l l which provide .an open communication be tween the chambers 15 and 16. A series of heating coils 22 are provided in the chamber ldbeing ted with steani or other'heated duid from a source not shown.' A central outlet" pipe 23 extends upwardly through the bottorn 5 through the plate 13 and through the pan 9 forming a tight closure with all'these parte and 'extending upwardly as shownv at 2liinsi'de the pan 9. This Vpipe 23 communi# cates through a valve 25 with the separator 2. A water outlet pipe 26 is provided in open communicationwith the bottoni ot the treater.v I'lhis water outlet pipe is extended downwardlyto a considerable distance below tbetreater and; connects with i. yvertical pipe 2tiD which extends upwardly and cfpinrnuni- Cates through-'a T 262 and an elbowfd lwith a :movable pipe2d4. l

The separator 2 lconsists oit a' tight tanlr 27 providedwith a bottom 28 and withan inlet pipe 29 `which vin 'open communication with 'the' pi'pes2ts` through the valve 25. A series ot" .wooden lath meinbersl); are pro vided in. the separatingtanlr for the purpose ot' .collecting and trapping that portion oii'the tree water which passes into the separator 2Twith the oil from the treater l. An outlet pipe Bl is provided for drawing lod the cleaned oil troni the separator andan outlet pipe 32 is provided for drawing od thewater`irom the separator. A blow-out pipe Bil is provided onthe separator 2 to admit water or vst'eai'n'iior the purpose of cleaning the interior oil the separator.

'llhe interruptor. 3, shown in Figs. i and 5, consists ot a shaft 35 turning in bear-ings i ioc ies 36 and 37 formed on a bed plate 38 -7and driven by a gear 39 which is driven by a-pinion l0 on the shaft of a motor il which may be driven trom any convenient. source oit electrical energy. Mounted on the bearing 3'? is an insulating plate42 on which are mounted a plurality'ofv stationary contacts 43 each connected toa wire afl. .A rotating brush i5 is carried on a rotating brush holder a6 whichis torniied integral with a `sleeve 47.

lbuslning dfinounted. on-the yshaft 35. stationary brush'. A9 presses against the sleeve'- 17 being carried inv a brush holder 50-supported on a brush -holder stud 51' provided izo 'The sleeve 47. is carried on an insulating 1l ist iis

is shown in Fig. 6. A transformer is provided having a `primary winding 54 and a secondary winding 55. One side of the secondary winding 55 connects through the wire 53 with the stationary brush 49. The other side of the secondary winding 55 connects through a wire 56 with the tanks 1, each of these tanks being yconnectml to the outer electrodes 10. Each of the inner electrodes 18 is connected through a wire 44 with one of the segments 43 on the insulating plate 42. One of these segments is connected through the brush 45 and theasleeve 47 with the wire 53. As the shaft 35 is rotated an electrical potential is impressed on each pair of inner and outer electrodes in turn, the current fiowing from the secondary 55 through the wire 53 to the brush 49 and into the sleeve 47. From the sleeve 47 it fiows through the brush 45 to one of the segments 43 and from the segment 43 throuvh the brush 44 to an inner electrode 18. rllhe current then iows through the emulsion to one of the outer electrodes 10 and from thence through the wire 56 back'to the other side of the secondary 55.

The method of operation of the invention is as follows: Emulsion is admitted to the treater 1 through an inletpipe 57 into the top of the chamber 15 just below the pan 9. This emulsion flows downwardly through the chamber 15, being acted upon if desired by the heating coils 22 and assing out of the chamber 15 into the cham er 16 through the holes 21. ural tendency of the free water to settle is assisted by heating the emulsion, thereby reducing its` viscosity. Only the heavier oils need to be so heated. The emulsion then rises through the outer electrodes 10 and between the points 19 and 20 formed on the outer and inner electrodes. Vhen an electrical potential exists between these electrodes an electric field is set up and the particles of trapped water arrange themselves in chains between the electrodes. The potential is maintained sufliciently high to positively cause a puncturing of the oil between the different particles so that there is a coalescence of the various water particlesinto one lon practically continuous chain of water. T e speed of the shaft 35 is made such that the current is allowed to How for a considerable interval after this chain is formed and a thorough coalescence takes place. The current is then interrupted for a longer period by the movement of the brush 45 and the chain forms one or more large water globules which drop through the moving body of emulsion into the chamber 16. As the water globules pass downwardly they collect many small particles of trapped water which they coalesce with to form larger bodies of free water. Thelength of the pipes 26 and 261 is made such We have found that the nat that the movable column of oil in the treater and a column of water in the pipe 26 are exactly balanced by a column of water in the pipe 261. Whenever water collects in the chamber 16 the weight in the treater and the pipe 26 exceeds the weiffht in the pipe 261 and water flows from tlie pipe 26 into the pipe 261 until a balanced condition exists. The pipe 264 is turned to adjust the vertical height of the column in the pipe 261 so that the water level for a balanced condition will be low in the chamber 16 or even a considerable distance down in the ipe 26. In practice a continuous stream o water flows from the pipe 264 thus relieving the chamber 16 of free water. VA small proportion of the smaller Water globules and a small percentage of emulsion may be carried upwardly with the rising stream of cleaned oil and the mixture is delivered to the pan 9, the liquid in this pan consisting almost wholly of cleaned oil. This oil and small proportion of water passes downwardly through the pipe 23 thrugh the valve 25 and the pipe 29 into the bottom of the separator 27, rising slowly through the lath members 30 which have previously been thoroughly wetted with water. The large surface presented by the lath members catches and retains the small proportion'of free Water in the mixture, and this water trickles down into the bottom of the separator 2 and is withdrawn'through the pipe 32, the cleaned oil practically `free from emulsion passing outwardly through the pine 31.

We claim as our invention 1. The improvement in the art of breaking up emulsions which consists in impressing on the emulsion a sufficient electrical potential difference to arrange the conduct ing particles in chains, maintaining a suiiicient electrical potential difference to cause heavy short circuit currents to flow through said chains, and interrupting said currents at regular intervals to allow the chains to coalesce into free water.

2. The improvement in the art of treating emulsions of oil and water which consists in subjecting said emulsions to an electrical strain sufficient to aline the water particles in chains and positively break down the walls between the particles, maintaining such strains during a period sufficient to produce a complete coalescence of such particles, and discontinuing such strains for a period sutlicient to allow the breaking up of such chains into globules of free water.

3. The process of treating emulsions which consists in passing such emulsions between electrodes, maintaining a sufficient electrical potential difference between such electrodes to produce chains of conducting particles and toproduce heav short circuit currents in such chains, an interrupting such cul-rente for sucient periods to allow such conducting particles to form large I globules of free Water.

4. The vprocess of treating emulsions of I.E petroleum. oil and Water which consists inl passin the emulsion upwardly between suitable e ectrodes and intermittentl impressyiuugfupon these electrodes a vo tage sui- .cientlv high to produce chains of Water m1 between the electrodes and to coalesce the chains by heavy short circuit currents.

5. The process of trentini@ emulsionsfof 'petroleum oil end vveter `which consists in eulojecting the emulsion" to en electrical stress for o, suciently long time to produce heavy currents through the water particles ROBERT e. LMRD.y JOSEPH H. RANEr.

lin presence oilinnn A. MANsrrnLm Fone W. Hennie. 

